James Potter's mother

The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.

Contents

Biography

She and her husband did not become parents until later in their lives when she gave birth to her son James I on 27 March, 1960. As such, James I was an only child, and was doted on quite a lot.[3]

When James I's friend, Sirius Black, ran away from home at age sixteen, he found refuge in the Potter household. Mrs Potter and her husband came to regard Sirius as something of a second son. After Sirius moved into his own flat, he kept in touch with the Potters, and was always welcome to have lunch with them on Sunday.[4]

Mrs Potter and her husband both succumbed to a fatal wizarding illness.[3] They were elderly at the time, suggesting they might have contracted dragon pox, which is known to be especially dangerous for older wizards.

In all likelihood, Mrs Potter never got a chance to meet her grandson, but she was probably among the relatives who Harry saw when he looked into the Mirror of Erised in 1991[5].

Behind the scenes

Charlus Potter and Dorea Black, who appear on the Black family tree, have been speculated to be James Potter I's parents. The couple had one child, a son whose name has not been revealed. If Dorea was in fact James I's mother, she would have been forty when he was born[6], which seems to align with J. K. Rowling's revelation about the age of James I' parents. However, Dorea died at fifty-seven, which conflicts with Rowling's statement that James I' mother was "old in wizarding terms" when she died. (J.K. Rowling, however, has said that maths is not her strong point and this could just be a mistake)[3]. Also, when James I was young, he stated that his father was in Gryffindor and he didn't mention his mother, which might be another hint, as almost all Blacks have been Slytherins. It is also possible since Dorea Black was not blasted of the tapestry for marrying a Potter they were not considered blood traitors.

However, it is also unlikely that Dorea is James Potter I's mother as James I' parents took Sirius Black into their home after he ran away from his family. As Sirius' uncle Alphard was disowned for simply giving Sirius "a decent amount of gold" when he ran away, it is likely that Dorea would also have been disowned for allowing Sirius to live with them.

Furthermore, as Dorea's name had not been removed from the tree, if she were James I' mother then his name would have been on the tree as well, even if he were burned off later for marrying a muggle-born witch. However, Sirius never makes any mention of being related to James I.